A Change of Course
by Vaneria Potter
Summary: What if Prince Caspian had taken a different route when he fled from Miraz that night? Combination of Book- and Movie-verse.
1. Chapter 1

_Disclaimer: I do not own the Chronicles of Narnia. Deal with it.  
__Summary: What if Prince Caspian had taken a different route when he fled from Miraz that night? Combination of Book- and Movie-verse._

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Chapter One

Caspian fled, his world narrowed to the horse beneath him, the soldiers behind him, and the pain of betrayal in his heart.

There were two things that all Telmarines feared: the sea and the woods. That fear had not stopped the soldiers from following him into the woods, where ghosts supposedly lived, but hopefully the fear of whatever demon lay over the sea would stop them from following him there.

With a desperate prayer that the demon would be too busy to notice _him_, Caspian turned his horse toward the sea, following the swift river. Hearing the soldiers turn their steeds in pursuit, the young prince hoped that he remembered his Geography lessons correctly.

* * *

Caspian's horse was swift, but so were those of his uncle's soldiers. They were gaining on Caspian, and unless by chance of a miracle, they would kill him. Professor Cornelius had said only to use the horn at greatest need, but if Caspian didn't do something now, he wouldn't live to have a 'greatest need'!

Caspian crouched over Destrier's neck, reaching for the horn at his belt as he urged the horse onward. Taking a deep breath, he lifted to horn to his lips and blew with all his might, just as Destrier stumbled, throwing him to the ground.

Perhaps some instinct in the horses recognized the sound of the magic horn, or perhaps it was just the sudden noise. Whatever the reason, they reared and shied away, giving Caspian time to scramble back onto his feet. Destrier was gone by then, however, and a flailing hoof knocked Caspian backward into the swift current.

He struggled to keep his head above the water, somehow keeping hold of Queen Susan's Horn. The rushing current was stronger than one boy, however, and a rock soon put an end to his struggles.

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A/N: Several elements in this were taken from the book and the first (BBC) Prince Caspian movie. Also, since I've yet to find an exact account of how old the Pevensies are, I'm basing their ages on the book quote of Lucy going to Boarding School for the first time.

_This is only the first chapter, so it is very short. Later chapters (if reviewers tell me that this is worth continuing) will be longer.  
__Anyway, constructive criticism is appreciated, flames are laughed at, and reviews are very welcome._

_Nat_


	2. Chapter 2

_Disclaimer: I do not own Chronicles of Narnia. I'm the wrong gender and several decades too young to be C. S. Lewis, at least.  
__Summary: See previous Chapter._

_A/N: In Prince Caspian, the only real indication we get about ages is that it has been a year since they were last in Narnia, and that Lucy is going to boarding school for the first time. I don't know about England, but for me that puts her at about twelve, about her probable age in the BBC version. I read somewhere that Edmund is two years older than Lucy, but I don't know about Peter or Susan. If anyone can give me the proper ages, it would be much appreciated._

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Chapter Two

When Caspian gained consciousness, he found himself washed up on a beach, with a pounding headache, a large cut that stung with salt water, and voices nearby. The owners of the voices were not close enough for him to identify and didn't seem to hold a Telmaranian accent, but Caspian didn't feel like taking chances.

Trying to ignore the pain in his head, Caspian scrambled over to tall apple tree and swung himself into its branches, just as four figures came into sight.

To his great relief, it was obvious that they were not Telmarine soldiers. The oldest seemed about Caspian's age, seventeen. After him was a girl a year or so younger, another boy, and a girl who looked around twelve.

Fortunately, they did not seem interested in looking for people. Caspian barely dared to breathe as the youngest girl reached up and picked an apple. "I wonder who lived here."

The older girl picked up something from the ground. From the younger boy's comment, it seemed to be a chess piece. "I think we did."

Caspian would have listened further, but his head didn't seem to approve of even the slightest movement, and Caspian was hit with a dizzy spell so strong that it was all he could do to stay in the tree. By the time he managed to open his eyes again, the youngest girl was leading her companions to a group of rock clusters. "Imagine walls, and columns over there, and a glass roof."

As she spoke, she pushed the oldest to stand at one end, then the other girl beside him. The younger boy moved to the third rock cluster of his own accord, and the girl stood beside him. The oldest boy looked around them. "Cair Paravel."

How would four children know all this, especially when the place was no more than a ruin? Doctor Cornelius had told him that the magic horn would summon the Kings and Queens of old, but surely it couldn't be this group of children! Caspian was hit by another dizzy spell, opening his eyes just in time to see the children disappear through a door that had apparently been hidden behind a wall. Well, if Caspian wanted answers, he had better follow them.

* * *

Going through the door and down a flight of stairs as quietly as possible, Caspian heard the four talking about how things had once been, and a comment about the passing of thirteen hundred years. It did lend credit to the 'Old Kings and Queen' theory, at least. Now, if he could just talk to them and hope for a straight answer…

By the grace of his ancestors, this was_ not_ what he had intended! With the worst timing possible, Caspian reached the room that the four had entered just in time to see the two girls changing into more Narnian clothing.

All right, so Caspian was an adolescent boy, and hardly opposed to the sight, but his honor and upbringing told him that spying on them was rude and disrespectful to the ladies. Not to mention likely to get him killed if their brothers found him.

Thanking the Telmarine Gods that no one had noticed him, Caspian carefully made his way back outside, waiting for them to return.

* * *

The reaction when the four emerged was very mixed. The two boys instantly drew their swords. The older girl darted behind her brothers. The younger girl ignored attempts to make her do the same and smiled at Caspian. "Hello. What's your name?"

Well, at least someone in the world wasn't out to attack, hate and/or kill him. "I am Prince Caspian. Who are y - aaah!"

Dizzy spells in the middle of an introduction hardly make a good first impression, but at least the two boys no longer had their swords aimed at him. Granted, they still looked suspicious, but there wasn't much that they could do with the youngest girl between them and Caspian, manhandling him over to sit on a rock as she pulled a flask from her belt. Caspian tried to rise again, but was firmly pushed back down. "You're hurt. Hold still."

Caspian was a prince, and the girl was at least four years younger than him, but the look she gave him was that of a much older Queen, used to being obeyed. Besides, whatever was in that flask worked wonders, so the young prince could hardly complain. "Who are you?"

The older boy extended a hand. "High King Peter, the Magnificent. These are my brother and sisters, obviously."

Caspian made a desperate attempt, mostly successful, not to laugh. High King, perhaps, but Peter was no older than him, barely out of the gangly stages of adolescence, and hardly 'Magnificent'.

Luckily for Caspian's chances of enlisting aid, the older girl, presumably Queen Susan, vocalized the thought. "You probably could have left off the last bit."

Beside him, Queen Lucy covered a giggle, exchanging glances with a smirking King Edmund. Again, Caspian forced down a burst of laughter. "Well, none of you were really the help I had been expecting when I blew the Horn. I am glad you are here, though."

Suddenly, the atmosphere changed to all business. "You blew Susan's horn? I think it's time we found out what is going on here. Perhaps we should start with what a prince is doing in a ruined castle miles from anywhere."

Frowning at the implications in King Peter's tone, Caspian ignored it for now and started his tale. Even though he knew the facts, it was not an easy story to tell. "I am running away. My uncle has always wanted my throne." He gazed out over the sea. "I suppose I have only lived this long because he did not have an heir of his own. Now that has changed, and he wishes me dead."

Queen Lucy sighed and stood up, brushing off her skirt. "It's worse than the war of the Roses. This looks like it will be a long story, so may I suggest finding somewhere to spend the night?"

It was slower in her siblings, but Caspian could almost see the transition as the four began to change from children to the Kings and Queens they had once been. King Peter straightened. "If I recall correctly, what used to be Lucy's Chamber would probably be the best." He glanced at Caspian. "Will anyone come looking for you soon?"

Caspian shook his head. "I do not think so. Telmarines fear the woods and the sea, I am not fully sure why. It will take more than Miraz's command to make them follow me here."

For some unknown reason, both King Edmund and Queen Lucy looked faintly insulted. Caspian resolved to wonder about that later as they followed the youngest Queen to what was now a fairly sheltered enclave, overlooking the sea. Once everyone had made themselves as comfortable as possible, Caspian began his tale.

* * *

"Of Narnia's history I know little, and only the Telmarine side of things. We came to Narnia led by my ancestor, Caspian the First, ten generations ago. My tutor once said that History is written by the victorious, so I do not know anything more than that there was a war, and the Old Narnians, as we call them, either fled or were all but wiped out, with only rumors of sightings here and there.

Now, stories of Old Narnia, of the White Witch and of you, the Four Golden Rulers, are dismissed as fairytales. My tutor is part dwarf, and made sure that I knew at least some of Narnia's history, but even he only knew so much, and it would have been nearly impossible to find out more. As I said, all of the old Narnians were in hiding or dead, and any left were hardly about to have a civil conversation with a Telmarine.

I do know that not long after I was born, my mother died, and Miraz killed my father when I was only a small boy, calling himself Lord Protector by right of being my uncle.

The only things standing between him and the Telmarine throne were myself and his lack of an heir. Yesterday, my aunt gave birth to a son, gave my uncle Miraz an heir. Now I am merely in the way, and he wants me dead."

The four were listening with rapt attention, and Queen Lucy placed a sympathetic hand on his arm. Caspian drew a deep breath, his resolve firming. "What my uncle did, what he is doing, is wrong. I do not know all of what happened when my ancestors came, but if any Old Narnians are left, I do not want them forced to live in hiding. My tutor, Doctor Cornelius, gave me Queen Susan's Horn as I fled my uncle's castle. I blew it as I fled from the soldiers sent to chase and kill me. Now I ask for your help in setting Narnia to rights. I cannot do it alone. Even if I can find any surviving Old Narnians, they are unlikely to listen to a Telmarine Prince, if they do not kill me on sight. But they will listen to their Kings and Queens of Old, so I need your help if I am to be able to restore Narnia. Will you aid me?"

The four siblings exchanged glances. King Edmund was the first to speak. "Once a King or Queen in Narnia, always a King or Queen."

High King Peter nodded. "We have a duty to Narnia as well. We will help you." He cast a glance at the darkening sky. "It had better wait until morning, though. No use setting out on a quest to save Narnia in the dark and without a proper plan."

Queen Lucy laughed, and Caspian felt himself starting to hope that everything would be all right, after all. Wiggling to find the most comfortable position (or at least one that didn't have small boulder digging into him) Caspian settled down for the night, letting his mind fill with dreams of a better Narnia.

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A/N: So, the next chapter is up. Thanks to everyone who reviewed the first, and I hope the next chapter won't take so long. I'm in the middle of moving and my exams are coming up, though, so no promises.

_This is my fourth Narnia fic, but my first Prince Caspian based one. The others are a poem, 'Kings and Queens of Narnia', a Susan-based one-shot, 'Remember', and a chaptered fic from the White Witch's point of view.  
__Anyway, constructive criticism is welcome, flames are laughed at, and all opinions are very much appreciated._

_Thanks, Nat_


	3. Chapter 3

_Disclaimer: I do not own Chronicles of Narnia. I'm the wrong gender and several decades too young to be C. S. Lewis, at least.  
Summary: See previous Chapter.  
A/N: I'm really sorry for the lack of update, but I'd nearly finished this chapter when my computer managed to delete most of the file, then my document recovery program refused to co-operate._

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Chapter Three

Caspian knew that he would need all of his strength the next day, but sleep still eluded him. Finally, he rose as quietly as he could and walked a little way, trying to clear his head. Gazing over the still woods, and the sea beyond them, Caspian felt, more than saw, someone come up from behind him. "It's strange, you know. I always wanted to travel Narnia, to find out if the legends were true. Now that I have my wish, I can't help thinking about the way things were before."

A small hand slipped into his own, squeezing lightly. "I know what you mean. I always knew we'd come back to Narnia one day, but now everything has changed. The trees used to talk and dance, but now they are asleep and won't wake, everyone we knew is dead, and I don't even know how many of the Old Narnians, as you call them, still even exist."

Caspian glanced at Lucy, standing beside him, seeing the sorrow etched on her young face, but tempered by the hope and faith that he knew would never truly leave her. Somehow, her belief comforted him, and he sank down to the hard earth, pulling her with him and leaning back against a tree. "There are always memories, though. Tell me what Narnia was like before, when you and your siblings ruled."

Lucy smiled at him, her eyes warm. "It was hard, at first. The others didn't believe me when I said that I'd found an entire new world, and had tea with a faun. I know it sounded fantastic, but I was sad at how quickly they laughed it off. Finally, we all came through, only to discover that the whole land was under a curse, and we were the only ones who could break the curse and defeat the White Witch. I was still a small girl when I was crowned Queen, and I was so scared of doing something wrong, and it hurt so much when we were called back to our world.  
"I never stopped loving Narnia though, and I never forgot all the things we did. There were battles, and the occasional Narnian who remained loyal to the White Witch, but there was also nights filled with the naiads singing in the waves below Cair Paravel, and dancing in the woods with the nymphs and fauns. Oh, Caspian, you would have loved it! Flying on the wings of a great eagle, dancing until daybreak with the birch dryads while the oaks and the beeches looked on, riding with the centaurs…It's nearly impossible to get a straight answer out of them, but they are some of the wisest and most noble creatures you will ever meet."

As she spoke, Caspian felt as though he were traveling back in time, until he could almost see the things that Lucy spoke of. "It must have been hard, going back to your world after being a Queen of Narnia. I don't know if I could do it."

A quiet laugh. "It was a bit of a change. Aslan said 'once a King or Queen in Narnia, always a King or Queen'. It's nice, but it isn't much help when you find yourself a grown woman, one moment, then an ordinary child the next. I remember being a Queen, ruling over fauns, dwarves, dryads and talking animals, with kings and princes asking for my hand, but to the rest of the world, I am only a silly young girl, not worth a second glance."

Caspian could hardly envision the young Queen as a 'silly girl', but the topic seemed to be upsetting her, so he changed the subject. "You said that the trees used to dance. How? Did they pull their roots out of the ground, or link branches, or…"

This time her laugh was more genuine, filled with amusement. "No, no, no! I meant that the dryads used to dance. They look more like people than trees, though there is a sort of 'woody' feel about them. The birch trees are like slender young girls, with silvery voices and a love of dancing. Rowan trees are like young men, competing with each other for attention. Then you have the beech trees, gracious and stately ladies of the forest, or the oaks, who look like hearty but very old men."

That was a sight that Caspian would love to see, and Lucy's wistful tone clearly said likewise. "If we manage to free Narnia, perhaps the trees will wake up again. Surely someone from Old Narnia can convince them to return."

Lucy leaned against him drowsily, and he wrapped an arm around her shoulders. The night was cold, after all. "Oh, I do hope so. If they can't, I'm sure Aslan will help."

With sleep finally creeping up on him, Caspian nodded. In Doctor Cornelius's tales of Old Narnia, everything always became all right again when Aslan appeared. "I'm sure he will."

* * *

Caspian really should have remembered that Cair Paravel was on the Eastern Sea. He woke with the sun glaring into his eyes, and two irritated young men glaring pointedly at his arm resting around their baby sister. Caspian hastily removed it, accidentally waking Lucy up in the process.

Lucy smiled at her brothers as she rose and went to wake up Susan. High King Peter looked as though he were about to speak, but was forestalled by King Edmund. "If we have to fight to save Narnia, you're going to need some proper armour. There should be something in your size in the treasure chamber."

Caspian and Peter were roughly the same size, so it was a safe bet, and King Edmund had a point. Caspian's metal studded jerkin might have been good while he was on the run, but in a fight he was going to need something better.

Caspian had a slimmer build than Peter, so the search took a little longer, but a few minutes search in the treasure chamber yielded a finely made shirt of dwarven chain-mail. The two kings had offered a sword as well, but the Narnian swords were different to the Telmarine broadswords, and they didn't have time for Caspian to learn a whole new fighting style.

Besides, with everything that had been going on, Caspian needed _something_ that was still familiar to him.

* * *

The five of them set off after a quick breakfast of apples and fresh stream water, they had barely made it down to the beach, however, when they caught sight of a boat, rowed by two soldiers. Thanking the gods that they were still amongst the trees and out of sight, Caspian heard Susan whisper to the others. "What do you think they're doing here? If they were looking for Caspian they'd be scouring the woods, not rowing a boat."

King Edmund seemed about to offer a suggestion when the two soldiers stopped rowing and carefully stood up, holding something that kicked and struggled. King Peter drew a startled breath as Queen Susan fired a warning shot into the boat. Unfortunately, this had the added effect of making the soldiers drop their burden straight into the river.

King Peter instantly dove in after it as Susan fired another arrow, hitting one of the Telmarines and causing the other to dive overboard and swim for it. Deciding to worry about the second soldier later, Caspian and Edmund splashed into the river to catch the drifting boat, pulling it up onto the bank as the two Queens ran up to them and King Peter staggered out of the water, pulling what appeared to be a dwarf with him.

Queen Lucy instantly ran over to the bound and gagged dwarf, pulling her dagger to cut him free. "Are you all right?"

Caspian glanced into the boat, only to discover a large badger, also bound and gagged. Carefully lifting the beast out, Caspian carried him over to Lucy, who was calmly looking over the spluttering and outraged dwarf, checking for more serious injuries. Choosing to remain quiet for now, Caspian took in his first real sight of Old Narnians. Doctor Cornelius was part dwarf, of course, but the tutor had freely admitted that it was an entirely different thing than pure dwarfs. By now, the badger had also been cut loose. "Thank you, miss."

Though he really should have been expecting it, Caspian jumped slightly. Somehow, it was easier to believe in the existence of fauns, centaurs and dryads than it was in talking beasts. Naturally, this behaviour gained him several odd looks and a glare from the dwarf. "What are you staring at, boy?"

Caspian shook himself slightly. "What?... Are you?... I mean…"

The dwarf only rolled his eyes as the badger pulled himself upright. "You know, it's funny; you'd think more people would recognize a badger when they see one."

Lucy unsuccessfully tried to smother a giggle, as if at an old, personal joke, and Caspian pulled himself together. "I'm sorry. It's just, you're Old Narnians."

The dwarf gave him a withering look. "And you're a Telmarine. You don't see us staring, do you?"

The badger gave the dwarf a reproving look. "Do be quiet, Trumpkin! The poor boy can't help his ancestry." He turned back to the humans. "You saved our lives, so we might as well introduce ourselves. I'm Trufflehunter, and you may have already gathered that my friend here is Trumpkin."

King Peter inclined his head in greeting, but before he could say anything, Trumpkin caught sight of Peter's sword as Susan handed it back to him, staring in a kind of mild horror. "Oh, you've got to be kidding me. You're the Kings and Queens of old?"

Thankfully for all concerned, King Peter did not repeat his introduction of last night. "Some of them, at least. I am High King Peter, and these are my siblings, Queen Susan, King Edmund and Queen Lucy. As you have guessed, this is the Telmarine Prince Caspian. To change the topic, how did you two get here?"

The dwarf scowled. "A renegade dwarf escaped from Miraz's castle and told us that he had given the Telmarine prince Queen Susan's Horn. Then a naiad said that she had heard it being blown when she was swimming near the sea. The Centaurs claimed that whoever answered the call would probably come either here, at Cair Paravel, or to Lantern Waste, where you first entered Narnia."

The badger took up the tale. "We sent two others to Lantern Waste, and were on our way here when those Telmarines you saw captured us. Apparently, their commander thought that it would be a great joke to leave us here to be 'eaten by ghosts' or some such nonsense."

King Peter and Caspian exchanged glances. "It looks like things are moving faster than we thought."

Caspian nodded. "We had best get to the Old Narnians as soon as possible. Can we all fit in the boat, do you think?"

* * *

It was a tight squeeze, but eventually the whole group did manage to fit into the boat and they took turns rowing back to the mainland. It was very hard work, and by the time they pulled up Glasswater Creek, everyone was ready to collapse.

No one was awake enough to light a fire, and even a meal of apples (though Caspian was beginning to think that he would be happy to never see another apple in his life) felt better than taking the effort to catch or shoot anything. After a little silent munching, they all curled up at the roots of four large beech trees and fell instantly asleep.

Caspian's last thought before he drifted off was that of gratitude that the next leg of their journey would be on foot, and that they might find something to eat that didn't involve apples.

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A/N: Chapter Three up and hopefully Chapter Four won't take nearly as long to post.

_Just as a reminder, I am using artistic license and making the Pevensies a few years older than they are in canon. **Meagan**, a reviewer, has informed me that the Pevensies are 14, 13, 11 and 9, but I'm aging them up three or four years, as described in the previous chapter.  
__Constructive criticism is more than welcomed and flames are laughed at and used to cook until the repairman comes to fix my oven. Chapter One had nine reviews, Chapter Two had three reviews, and hopefully Chapter Three will have more._

_Thanks,  
__Nat._


	4. Chapter 4

_Disclaimer: I do not own Chronicles of Narnia. I'm the wrong gender and several decades too young to be C. S. Lewis, at least.  
Summary: See previous Chapter.  
A/N: A few people have asked if there will be romance in this fic. At the moment, no; in the future, possibly. With apologies to the movie purists, I think that Susan/Caspian has a snowball's chance in the desert of ever working out._

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Chapter Four

Much to everyone's dismay, breakfast was apples again, and how Lucy managed to be almost cheerful about it, Caspian had no idea.

After a quick breakfast, the small party was about to set off again when they realized that no one had any idea which direction they were supposed to be going. It almost looked like things were going to descend into a fight, when King Edmund said that King Peter had something called a 'pocket compass' and that all they needed to do was keep going northwest until they crossed the Rush river at Beruna, and they would be at Aslan's How in only a few hours.

Trumpkin and Trufflehunter agreed, and Queen Susan said that anything was better than just standing around. Although the Queen's words were hardly a ringing endorsement, she did have a point, and they resumed their journey.

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It seemed like it was destined to be one of _those_ days where everything went wrong. First, the trail kept vanishing on them, and if Trumpkin, Trufflehunter and the Kings hadn't had experience with woods before, Caspian didn't even want to think about how lost they would have been.

Next, they had been walking only about half an hour before they were attacked by a bear that had gone wild. Although this was not entirely bad, as bear-meat would make a wonderful change from apples, it was hardly an appreciated occurrence, either.

Finally, the sun came out of the mist and everyone's spirits began to rise. Now the only problem was that they had yet to find the river Rush. The travellers were just starting to get worried when they came to a small cliff, with a river at the bottom. On the other side, the cliffs rose much higher. King Peter let out a long breath. "I'm sorry. It's my fault for bringing us this way. We're lost. I've never seen this place before in my life"

Trumpkin whistled as Susan gave a very put-upon sigh. "Oh, do let's go back and go the other way. I knew all along that we'd get lost in these woods."

Caspian thought that if this was so, then the older Queen might have said so at the time, rather than spending the past few hours wandering through the woods. Fortunately, he was saved from expressing this opinion by King Peter, who said much the same thing with pardonable sharpness. Lucy agreed with them both. "Don't nag at Peter like that, Susan. It's rotten, and he's doing the best he can."

Edmund frowned. "Don't you snap at Susan like that either, Lu. I think she's quite right."

Trufflehunter just sighed as Trumpkin spoke. "I'm not so sure that the High King _is_ lost. What's to hinder this river being the Rush?"

Peter was obviously having some difficulty keeping his temper. "Because the Rush isn't in a gorge."

"Your Majesty says _is_," replied the Dwarf, "but perhaps you should say _was_. You knew this country hundreds, maybe more than a thousand, years ago. Mayn't it have changed in your absence? A landslide might have pulled away half of the hill, or the water may have deepened its course over the years, or there could have been an earthquake, or anything."

King Peter nodded. "I had never thought of that."

Trumpkin continued. "And anyway, even if it's not the Rush, it's flowing north, so it's bound to join the Great River at some point. So we'll go downstream, to our right, and come across the Great River eventually. Perhaps not as high as you'd hoped, but no worse than if we'd taken my way."

The group relaxed slightly at this possible solution, and they were about to climb down when Lucy cried out. "Aslan? Look, over there, it's Aslan!"

King Peter's eyes snapped toward his youngest sibling, and then to where she was pointing. "Do you really mean – "

Queen Susan was a bit more sceptical. "Where do you think you saw him?"

Lucy stamped her foot. "Don't talk like a grown up. I don't _think_ I saw him, I _did_ see him."

King Peter intervened to stop what looked to become a rather heated fight. "All right, Lu, but where?"

Lucy pointed. "Right up there between those mountain ashes. No, this side of the gorge. And up, not down. Just the opposite of the way you want us to go. And he wanted us to go where he was – up there."

King Edmund looked ready to believe her, but still wary. "How do you know that was what he wanted?

Lucy was starting to look annoyed with the lot of them; as if she couldn't believe that they didn't have her trust in Aslan. "He – I – I just know, by his face."

The tone of Lucy's voice caused everyone to look at her a bit more closely. Her eyes were fierce and she seemed taller somehow, and Caspian knew that he was no longer seeing Lucy, the youngest of four children and off to boarding school for the first time.  
He was seeing Lucy the Valiant, Queen of Narnia, whose faith was the virtue of legend, and who was very convinced that she _had_ seen Aslan, whether they believed her or not.

The others looked at each other in puzzled silence, until Trumpkin finally broke it. "Her Majesty may well have seen a lion – there are lions in these woods – but it needn't have been a friendly and talking lion, any more than the bear we ran into."

"Oh, don't be so stupid," snapped Lucy, "Do you think I wouldn't know Aslan if I saw him?"

Trumpkin only shrugged. "He'd be a pretty elderly lion by now, if he's the one you knew when you were here before! And if he is the same one, what's to have prevented him from going wild and witless like the others."

Lucy turned red, and if Caspian had not placed a hand on her arm, he felt it likely that she would have hit the dwarf. "You don't understand. I know Aslan, or at least a bit of him, and I know I saw him!"

Edmund sighed, cutting the two off before the disagreement could escalate any further. "There's nothing for it, then. We'll have to put it to a vote: up or down. What do you say, Susan?"

Susan shook her head. "Don't be angry, Lu, but I think we should go down. I'm dead tired. Do let's get out of this wretched wood as soon as we can. And none of us except you saw _anything_."

* * *

Caspian had been raised with the Telmarine belief that if you didn't have proof of something unbelievable, then it didn't exist. That was probably why almost no one else had believed in the stories of Old Narnia.  
Caspian had never heard or seen sight of Aslan outside the stories that Doctor Cornelius and his Nurse had told him, causing belief to war with reason and logic. It was all a question of faith, he supposed.

But the stories had said that Queen Lucy was the first to discover Narnia, and in the few days he had known her, he had seen that she had enough faith for ten people. Her trust and faith in Aslan was unwavering, and while Caspian had trouble believing in anything right now, he trusted Lucy. If she was convinced, then that was good enough for him.

King Edmund looked uncomfortable as he cast his vote. "The last time I didn't believe Lucy, she was right, and I ended up doing something pretty stupid. Maybe this time we should listen to her."

Caspian could hardly miss the radiant smile Lucy had given her brother, but he had his own decision to make. If Caspian was to be King of Narnia, then it was his duty to obey the High King, and the other Narnians seemed to agree. On the other hand, it had been over a thousand years since High King Peter had been in Narnia, and the two Old Narnians had not really been focusing on the geographical layout when they were last here, so Lucy had just as much chance of being right as the others did. More so, if she truly had seen Aslan. "Queen Lucy claims to have seen Aslan. If He is guiding her, then I think we should follow."

Sadly, the others didn't seem to share this opinion. Peter paused for a long moment, and then finally took a deep breath. "Down. I'm sorry, Lucy, and I know that you may be right after all, but I can't help it. We must do one or the other."

Trufflehunter shook his head. "My duty is to the High King. I'm sorry, Queen Lucy; you may well have seen Him after all, but I vote for going down."

Trumpkin also shook his head. "I'm not about to jump off a cliff for something that only one of us has seen. I vote for going back the way I suggested."

Queen Susan let out a breath and began to climb down. "It's settled then; we go down by the river, and the sooner we're away from here the better. Come on, all of you."

If it was hard to miss Lucy's smile before, it was impossible to miss her expression of disappointment now. The group set off, with Edmund and Caspian dropping behind to walk with Lucy, who was struggling to hold back tears.

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A/N: I am so sorry it took me this long to post, but Real Life kept getting in the way. I finished my TAFE course and am now dividing my time between writing whatever is in my current burst of inspiration, job-hunting, moving house and a course in Real Estate.

_Anyway, this chapter is up, and the next one shouldn't take as long. Critique and suggestions in reviews help (hint, hint). Constructive criticism is welcomed, and flames are laughed at._

_Thanks,  
__Nat._


	5. Chapter 5

_Disclaimer: I do not own Chronicles of Narnia. I'm the wrong gender and several decades too young to be C. S. Lewis, at least._

_Summary: See previous Chapter._

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Chapter Five

Even without his complete faith in Lucy, Caspian was seriously wishing that they had gone her way, Aslan or no Aslan.

First, they had gone all of ten yards before hitting an impossibly thick young fir wood. After spending several minutes trying to push through, ultimately coming to the conclusion that it would take them an hour to walk half a mile, they had to fight their way out again and go around the wood. This path took them well out of their course, and far from sight or sound of the river and cliffs.

Even worse, it was getting to the hottest part of the day, and when they finally made it back to the cliffs, after being attacked by a bear that they had been forced to kill, the path was a lot more broken than it had been and walking alongside a river is not a pleasant experience for people in a hurry.

It would have been lovely for an afternoon ramble and a picnic tea, (which Caspian resolved to do once everything had settled down) and it stopped them from getting completely lost in the woods, but what they most wanted to see at that point was the Great River and Beruna.

The Rush began to go deeper and deeper, until the path was more of a steep and slippery climb, with a very high chance of falling down a dark chasm into the thundering river below. They watched the cliffs for any sign of an alternate path, but the cliffs remained smooth and unyielding. Again, it was getting dark, and the boys, along with Trumpkin and Trufflehunter, wanted nothing more than to light a fire and have something to eat. Susan wanted to continue until they were out of the woods, and Lucy was too tired and miserable to have an opinion at all. They were forced to continue, however, by the simple fact that there was no dry wood to be had, nor a suitable place to stop.

Finally, they came to a break in the cliffs where the river gorge made a bend, and they could see all of Beruna and the surrounding area spread out before them. The good news was that they were out of the woods and at Beruna. The bad news was that at least two regiments were camped at the fords, and that there was clearly no way through or around them. Their only choice, therefore, was to go back the way they had come.

This did not go down well with anyone, but when they had to dive into hiding to escape notice from a Telmarine party of soldiers, who were escorting Miraz himself, they were forced to admit that there was no other option. Getting back onto her feet when they came out of hiding, Lucy stretched her legs. "I suppose we'll have to go back up the gorge now."

Caspian found himself stifling the urge to laugh at her words as King Peter gave his youngest sister a fond look. "Lu, you're a hero, and that's the closest you've come all day to saying _I told you so_. Let's get on."

Trumpkin agreed. "And as soon as we're into the woods, whatever anyone says, I'm going to light a fire and cook supper. But we must be well away from here."

* * *

It was just as difficult going back to their starting point as it was getting to Beruna in the first place, but the word '_supper'_ had given everyone a second wind, and they were almost cheerful despite the difficult path. When they made it into the woods again, it was just starting to get dark, but they soon had a good fire going and began to cook dinner.

They still had a few apples left, along with some meat salvaged from the bear that they had been forced to kill earlier. Wrapping the apples up like a sort of dumpling, with meat instead of pastry, resulted in a surprisingly delicious meal, and of course there was no washing up. There was little to do but stretch out and try to make themselves comfortable, but they all fell asleep very quickly.

* * *

Caspian was woken again in the night by the soft rustling sound of footsteps moving through dry leaves. Keeping in mind that they were not _that_ far away from the Telmarine camp, Caspian carefully rose to his feet. The source of the noise was only Lucy, walking away from the camp and into the trees.

Feeling surprisingly rested, Caspian followed her, hearing the faint sound of Lucy talking to herself as she looked very hard at the trees. "Why, I do believe they're moving. They're walking about, and dancing. I suppose, when the trees themselves dance, it must be a very country dance. The dryads are quite different. They are almost awake, but not quite."

Just in front of Lucy, Caspian could now see a clearing, but before he could take a proper look, Lucy gave a cry of pure joy and rushed forward, straight at a huge lion. Caspian was about to rush forward as well, running to Lucy's defence, but stopped when Lucy threw her arms around the lion and buried her face in his mane. "Aslan, Aslan. Dear Aslan. At last."

Ah. Well, that explained things. The lion rolled onto his side, so that Lucy was half sitting and half lying between his front paws, and touched her nose with his tongue. "Welcome, dear one."

Lucy rested against Aslan as the lion raised his head, looking directly at Caspian. Sending a brief prayer to whoever might be listening that this gentle treatment was not exclusive to Lucy, Caspian slowly walked forward. It seemed that he had little to fear, however, as the lions only words were; "And welcome to you, Son of Adam."

Well, it didn't look like Caspian was going to be eaten just yet, but he had barely started to relax, sitting down a few feet away from Aslan, when he jumped to his feet again, the inbred Telmarine fear of the woods springing up inside him as faces looked out from the trees, then withdrew for a few moments, before what had to be dryads began to appear from everywhere, and Caspian shied back toward Aslan as they crowded around him and Lucy.

Lucy was quickly pulled into a lively dance with two birch dryads, leaving Caspian to stand with Aslan, trying to calm his fear. The silence was almost uncomfortable as they watched the dancers; after all, what do you say to a huge talking lion who you hardly believed existed until a few hours ago? Finally, Caspian could bear it no longer. "Aslan, why was Lucy the only one who could see you? Why couldn't High King Peter?"

Aslan watched as a rowan joined Lucy and the birch-girls, but the birch-girls ignored him. A water hemlock darted out of their exuberant way and joined his poison hemlock cousins, all intent on staying on the sideline. Another rowan headed in their direction, but altered his course when the water hemlock glared. It reminded Caspian of when he had watched young men trying to flirt with maidens, and then be intimidated away by protective male relatives.  
Looking over at the cluster of hemlocks, where the poison hemlock girls were proving that they didn't need their cousins to divert unwanted attention (Caspian nearly cringed at their methods), Aslan smiled as a young aspen backed away from them quickly, then turned his attention to Caspian. "Of all her siblings, it is Lucy who loves me, who loves Narnia, the best. She has never lost hope or faith, despite all that has happened here. That is why she can see me. You have been raised with the belief that I; that Old Narnia, was nothing more than a Myth, yet you have believed. That is why you are able to see me."

Did the closest thing Old Narnians had to religion play favorites? If not, He certainly seemed to play soft spots. Caspian settled back to watch, but only stood for a few seconds before Lucy pulled him into the dance as well. It was nothing like the balls Caspian had been forced to attend at the Telmarine court, with the light coming from the full moon, instead of torches.

The dance had no set steps, but brought Caspian a strange sense of freedom that made his instinctive fear of the trees vanish as though it never was. His partner was not a refined Telmarine Lady, but a Narnian Queen who had led him to Aslan and whose eyes shone with joy and laughter. Caspian didn't know if they had danced for hours or only seconds before Aslan called them back to his side, and Caspian somehow knew that the next part of the night was going to be a lot harder.

* * *

He was right. Aslan looked at them both, as though he was looking into Caspian's soul. "You must not stay here long. You have work in hand, and much time has been lost today."

Lucy sighed. "Yes, I know. I saw you, but they wouldn't believe me."

From deep inside Aslan, there came the barest hint of a growl, "And why should that have stopped you from coming to me?"

Lucy looked apologetic. "I'm sorry. I was too scared to come alone. It wasn't my fault, though, was it?" Aslan only looked at her. "Oh, Aslan, you don't mean it was? I couldn't have left the others and come alone, how could I? Don't look at me like that… I suppose I could, and I wouldn't have really been alone, not if I was with you. But what would have been the good?"

Aslan said nothing. Caspian took Lucy's hand as she looked rather faint. "You mean that it would have turned out all right, somehow? Am I not to know?"

Aslan shook his great head. "To know what _would_ have happened? No, dear one, no one is ever told that. But what _will_ happen is another matter entirely. You must return to the others and wake them up. Tell them that you have seen me and that they must all get up at once and follow me. What will happen – that is the way to find out."

Lucy tilted her head. "Will the others be able to see you too?"

Aslan shook his head again. "Certainly not at first. Later on, it will all depend."

Caspian frowned. "But if they can't see you, will they believe us?"

He felt himself pinned by Aslan's stare. "It doesn't matter."

"Oh dear," said Lucy, "I was so pleased at finding you again. I thought that you'd let me stay. I thought you'd come roaring in and frighten all the enemies away – like last time. And now everything is going to be horrid."

"Things never happen the same way twice, dear one," said Aslan. "It has been hard on all in Narnia before now."

Lucy buried her face in Aslan's mane, seeming to draw strength from it, and then sat up. "I'm sorry, Aslan. I'm ready now."

If a lion's facial muscles were capable of the action, Caspian would swear that Aslan was smiling at Lucy. "Now you are a lioness, and all of Narnia will be renewed. But come; we have no time to lose."

Aslan rose and padded on noiseless feet out of the clearing, and they followed him, Lucy laying a hand on his mane, and Caspian tentatively doing the same several moments later. The trees parted before them, seeming to bow as they passed. Reaching the camp, Aslan stopped. "Now, children, I will wait for you here. You must go and wake the others and tell them to follow. If they will not, then you two at least must follow me alone."

Caspian bowed to Aslan and followed Lucy over to where the others still lay asleep. This was going to be a longer night than he had first anticipated.

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A/N: Ok, this story is on two favourite's lists, and fourteen alerts, but there is only one review for the last chapter. I really hate begging for reviews, but constructive criticism is very useful, and I like to know what people think. Lack of comments sometimes makes me wonder if a story is really worth continuing if I am the only one who reads it.

_Take five seconds to review and let me know if I should keep going._

_On another note, I don't know when I'll be updating next. My best friend was the victim of domestic violence, so I'm leaving in about two hours to help her take out an AVO. For obvious reasons, I doubt that I'll have much time to write in the near future._

_Thanks, Nat._


	6. Chapter 6

_Disclaimer: I do not own Chronicles of Narnia. I'm the wrong gender and several decades too young to be C. S. Lewis, at least._

_Summary: See previous Chapter._

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Chapter Six

All right, Caspian could accept that yesterday had been a disaster on many levels, but you would think that it would make the rest of the company easier to convince, even if it was the middle of the night.

To the contrary, it only made the others even more convinced to just roll over and go back to sleep. It finally took Lucy and Caspian threatening to just go on their own to get them up and moving, and even then they were less than enthusiastic about it.

Personal faith in and even affection for Lucy aside, Caspian had thought that all the times that they youngest queen had been right, especially yesterday, would have encouraged the others to at least listen to her. Firmly reminding himself that he really couldn't tell Queen Susan to shut up and stop complaining, Caspian took Lucy's hand and started to walk off.

Let the High King deal with his sulky sister, but Aslan had implied that Narnia's need was only growing greater, and if Caspian was ever going to be able to look in a mirror again, never mind try to win the Narnians trust, he couldn't sit around just to humour Queen Susan's temper. Their companions could follow, or not, but there was no more time to waste.

They followed Aslan to the cliff where everything had started the previous day. At first, no one could see the path, but when Aslan seemed to walk right off the cliff and both Lucy and Caspian rushed over, they could see a steep and narrow path winding. Really not in the mood for another round of arguments and complaints, Caspian decided that the best route would be to simply follow. You could see the path easily enough if you looked, and seeing two of their companions disappear into thin air would bring the rest of the party over to the edge quicker than anything else Caspian could think of.

It only took them a few minutes to get to the bottom of the gorge, but several more difficult minutes to get across the river, followed by a long and tedious climb up the other side, which was admittedly far higher than the side where they had started. Caspian was nearly out of breath by the time they finally scrambled over the top onto a grassy, wooded area, but had no complaints.

In the distance, rising out of the trees, he could see a hill, and by Trumpkin and Trufflehunter's sighs of relief, it was probably Aslan's How.

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Everyone was exhausted from the previous day, the lack of rest, and the hike up the gorge, and the surrounding area would be much easier to see (and not tumble over any high ledges) in the daylight, so the party settled down for what remained of the night.

Perhaps it had something to do with meeting Aslan, but Caspian felt fully refreshed, and sat talking to Lucy, who seemed much the same. "What do you think will happen when we meet the Narnians? Will they fight with us?"

Lucy leaned back against the tree they were sitting under, resting her head against his upper arm as she considered the question. "The Centaurs will probably fight with us. They watch the stars and follow whatever they see written there. The others, I don't know. Narnia is very different from what I remember, so I don't even know what races still exist, let alone how they interact with each other. Besides, while we know it doesn't matter, you are a Telmarine. You will need to win them over, show them that you want what is best for Narnia, not just for humans."

That would probably be the hardest part of all. Caspian had been popular amongst the Telmarine people, and still had a duty to them as much as he had to the old Narnians. Miraz aside, this was going to be a long, uphill battle. Still, the news of the Centaurs was encouraging. "What do you mean, how they interact with each other?"

Lucy tilted her head, a slightly endearing habit whenever she was thinking about something. "For most of our reign, there was a lot of tension between those who had sided with the White Witch, and those who had trusted in Aslan. Time and a common foe have probably reconciled that, but we don't know that."

Not for the first time, Caspian wished that there had been more detail in the stories and legends that his nurse and Doctor Cornelius had told him. "Well, we need to find the Narnians, first. It's still a few hours until dawn, so I suppose we should try to get some sleep."

* * *

Caspian decided that this was starting to become a very tiresome habit. Be unable to sleep, dozing off after taking to and being reassured by Lucy, and waking up again to face an irate presence. Last time, it was Lucy's brothers, and this time it involved waking up with a curved sword at his throat, being glared at by a minotaur as Trumpkin and Trufflehunter tried to explain things to a decidedly hostile group of Old Narnians.

A Black Dwarf who obviously knew Trufflehunter and Trumpkin was all for killing Caspian on sight, and highly sceptical of the Pevensies being anything more than Telmarine spies. Luckily for the humans in question, a faun caught the inscription on Peter's sword, and a centaur noticed that Caspian still carried Queen Susan's horn. This got the Kings and Queens off the hook, but didn't stop the Old Narnians from dragging them off to a kind of impromptu council, where it seemed everyone wanted to kill him on principle.

The Black Dwarf, Nikabrik, despite the testimony of Doctor Cornelius and despite his friendship with Trufflehunter and Trumpkin, did not share their tolerance, and was entirely unwilling to listen to any explanations. "All this horn proves is that they've stolen yet another treasure from us!"

Caspian had known that bringing Narnia together would be hard, but it seemed very easy in comparison to talking the Old Narnians out of killing him. "I didn't steal anything."

This was apparently the wrong thing to say. The Minotaur who responded to his claim sounded particularly outraged. "Didn't steal anything? Shall we list the things that the Telmarines have stolen from us?"

This prompted an outcry from just about everyone and Caspian inwardly winced. This was not going well. "You would hold me accountable for all of the crimes of my people?"

To his credit, Nikabrik did not try to deny it. "Accountable, and punishable!"

Caspian tried not to be startled when a mouse wielding a rapier jumped off a rock and marched up to Nikabrik. At least someone was willing to go against the dwarf, even if he wasn't siding with Caspian. "That is rich coming from you, Dwarf! Or have you forgotten that it was your people who fought at the side of the White Witch?"

Lucy frowned at the mouse. "Dwarves weren't the only ones to fight with the Witch, and it's very unfair of you to blame an entire race for the actions of a few, especially when several Dwarves fought with Aslan."

This earned Lucy several looks in varying degrees of consideration, surprise and/or admiration. Unfortunately, the mellowing atmosphere didn't last, with Nikabrik and the mouse still arguing. "And we'd gladly fight with the Witch again, if it would rid us of these barbarians!"

A glance to the side showed King Edmund turning a few shades whiter, Queen Lucy giving him a concerned look, and the older siblings sharing a hard expression. Fortunately, Trufflehunter chose this point to interject. "Then it is lucky that it is not within your power to bring her back, or are you suggesting that we go against Aslan now?"

This also prompted cries of outrage, although this time they were not directed at Caspian. Trufflehunter continued, "Some of you may have forgotten, but we badgers remember well, that Narnia was never right, except when a Son of Adam or Daughter of Eve ruled."

This brought everyone back to the crux of the problem. "He's a Telmarine! Why would we want him as a King?"

The outrage was slightly more subdued this time, and Caspian jumped at what was likely to be the only chance he would get. "Because I can help you. Beyond these woods, I am a prince. The Telmarine throne is rightfully mine. Help me claim it, and I can bring peace between us."

There was a thoughtful silence, broken by one of the centaurs. "It is true, the time is right. I watch the skies, for it is mine to watch as it is yours, badger, to remember. Tarva, the Lord of Victory, and Alambil, the Lady of Peace, have met in the halls of high heaven. Now, a son of Adam has come forth, to offer us back our freedom."

It seemed that Lucy had been right about Centaurs and Stars. This time, the cries of fury were replaced by murmurs of speculation, and a squirrel asking if it was really possible. A glance to the side showed Peter just managing to hide a pained grimace at the excitable beast, and Lucy giving him an encouraging smile.

Taking strength from her faith in him, Caspian searched for the right words to convince the Old Narnians. "Three days ago, I didn't believe in the existence of Talking Beasts, or Dwarves or Centaurs. Yet here you are, in strength and numbers that we Telmarines could never have imagined! Whether this horn is magic or not, it brought us together, and together we have a chance to take back what is ours!"

There was an agonizing pause, in which Caspian reflected that 'we Telmarines' might not have been the best choice. Finally, it was broken by the same centaur. "If you will lead us, then my sons and I offer you our swords."

All around the clearing, the Old Narnians drew weapons, holding them in salute. The mouse twirled his sword, holding it out to the side as he bowed. "And we offer you our lives, unreservedly."

Peter finally spoke up. "Miraz's army will not be long. We should get inside the How, and make preparations."

A few of the Old Narnians turned away, presumably to find and warn other Old Narnians who were not present. The rest led the way toward Aslan's How. Taking Lucy's hand as she struck up a conversation with a Minotaur, Caspian couldn't help but feel a small thrill of triumph.

It would take time to earn the trust and respect of the Old Narnians, but in this small clearing, he felt like he had taken the first steps toward a bright and peaceful future.

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A/N: Yes, I know, it's been forever since I updated. My only excuse is job-hunting, my sister borrowing and losing my **'Prince Caspian'** book, and a bad case of writer's block. I don't know when the next chapter will be up, but I'll try not to take so long this time.

_Someone pointed out that my last A/N sounded like I was begging for reviews, which was very unintentional. Seriously, constructive criticism is a writer's greatest reward, and I would love to know what you think, even if it is just to say that my work is horrible and I should go to hell._

_Thanks,_

_Nat._


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